Ridiculous; travel agencies say DFA taking over processing of passports

CEBU, Philippines - The Department of Foreign Affairs Regional Consular Office in Cebu has given travel agencies until June 30, 2012 to file the passport applications of their clients.This after DFA said the processing of passport applications and renewals will soon be an exclusive function of the department.

DFA Cebu officer-in-charge Elias Balawag issued the memorandum Monday following the directive of the Office of the Undersecretary for Administration.

“The Department’s decision was prompted by concerns arising from public perception that it is giving priority to travel agency-assisted applicants over walk-in applicants, particularly those in the regions, who could not afford to pay extra for the services travel agencies offer,” Balawag said.

Balawag added that the decision is also intended to ensure that passport services are made available at no additional cost to the applying public.

At the 888 News Forum at the Marco Polo Plaza yesterday, Travel Cooperative of the Philippines chairman Robert Lim Joseph said that the move of DFA is ridiculous.

Joseph disclosed that DFA has appointed service providers to handle the processing.

“Why are they taking out the travel agents and favoring private companies who will do the processing? Maraming pera ‘yan ang pag- uusapan,” he said.

Joseph said that they will communicate with the DFA and tell them they are adamantly against this.

He stressed that passport applicants can have the options to go directly to DFA and its service providers if they cannot afford to pay the P300 service fee the travel agent is charging.

 “If the DFA would like to stop the travel agency, they have to stop this service provider,” Joseph said.

Ashwena Real of Fantastic Travel in Cebu said that people prefer their passport processed through travel agents rather than going to the DFA, although applicants still have to appear personally at the DFA whether for passport application or renewal.

But Real said applicants prefer go only to the DFA office once their documents are complete or their application can be processed quickly.

Each travel agency earns around P26,000 to P30,000 per month from the service fees of passport applicants.

Each agency also employs at least two liaison officers for transactions at the DFA.

 “The income that we get is sufficient enough to pay them,” Real said as she warned that losing that income is also losing people from their office.

There are more than a hundred accredited travel agencies in Cebu. — (FREEMAN)